On Jun. 17, 1988, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the recipients of the 1988 Secretary’s Community Health Promotion Awards.  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotionﾠ to target chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Twenty-five programs received the Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Community Health Promotion, 101 received the Secretary’s Outstanding Community Health Promotion Certificate of Merit, and 56 received the Secretary’s Letter of Recognition.

Criteria for receiving an award include a statement of the problem to be addressed, clear and measurable objectives, a succinct description of the work accomplished, and an evaluation of the project. Projects considered to be excellent were those that addressed today’s leading health problems through various efforts that are listed under the following categories of the 1990 health objectives for the nation.